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Monday, January 23, 2012

I Love My Doctor!

This is very long and detailed because my brother wrote me today and asked for me to give all the details. Blame him. :)

This morning I went to see the Sports Specialist Doctor across the river. This guy is a younger doctor (well, they ALL seem young to me these days), who is the doctor for several of the Portland Sports teams. I chose him because of his credentials and training. This is what occurred in the two full hours I was there:

Full sets of X-rays on both knees

Medical history taken and gone over

Running history gone over

Goals gone over

I walked up and down the hall for him

I did a short run showing him my stride down the hall

I showed him ALL my photos of me running (I only have maybe 5)

I stood before him as he had me do several motions on each knee (while he was feeling my hip movement, my knees, my feet, having me push, pull, etc as well front and back)

I laid on my side as he prodded hips and knees, had my legs doing various motions (push, pull, lift, rotate, etc)

I laid on my back as he prodded and massaged and manipulated around the knee area (also while having my leg do motions, etc)

We went over my X-Rays together

He explained the findings patiently, kindly and down to earth.

All in all, the doctor literally spent over an HOUR of individual time with me. He even left for a short time to go give another patient a scheduled injection and came back.

THE RESULTS ARE IN!!

My "X-rays are great"

I have 'really good' knees

He saw nothing that would prohibit me from running again

The urgent care doctor was (understandably) wrong. It was NOT my Patellar Tendon, but it was a tendon beneath the knee cap.

The injury is not a repetitive type of injury.

The injury is 'most likely' from my Thursday night workout (as I guessed).

He agreed my stride is almost more racewalk than run (like I keep saying), but yeah, it is a run.

I WOULD run faster if I bent my knees more, got my knees higher, and got my feet up off the ground more which midsole running would do.

Due to my arches, he does NOT recommend I try barefoot running (but I already knew that - walking barefoot hurts).

My current stride will never win races, BUT, if I am content with not winning races, "there is no reason to change" this stride.

Every runner has different needs.

"If it isn't broke, don't break it".

No one way is ALWAYS the right way for EVERY one.

Listen to my body.

If I do want to try and learn midsole running, he STRONGLY advises against my trying to change strides until after I strengthen my outer hips and IT band more because due to my posture (pigeon toes, flat arches, natural propensity to turn in). There is a real potential for causing injury in the process with my current weakness (as evidenced Thursday).

He gave me a prescription for Physical Therapy to learn to/begin to strengthen the outer hips/IT band.

The doctor FULLY believes that not only should I be able to run my goal of 'more than 50%', but he sees no reason I can't 'run' the full half marathon by October.

It would be okay to replace the Naproxen with Motrin (I was very nauseous and getting itchy rash with the Naproxen the urgent care doc gave me)

Apply ice three times a day for 15-20 minutes at a time.

Try not to run at least another week or two

When I start again, start easy and stop if there is ANY knee discomfort.

2 comments:

Which clinic & doc did you visit? I'm looking for a new one. The one at The Vancouver Clinic wasn't for me. Not at all. I got spoiled in Cincinnati with my sports med team. :(

Anyway, your news sounds GREAT! Once you're up and running again, we should plan on creating a little group run. I know of a few other ladies who love to run together. We chat the entire time, and the miles fly by. :)

Hi Heather! He is at the Portland Clinic in Tigard. He has done team stuff too (college?). I will shoot you a PM with his name. Do you do any of the group runs Fit Right put together each month? They are going to start in Vancouver this June if all goes well. I hope to be running strong by then. I doubt I can keep up with you and your peers at this time but it gives me something else to aim for as I heal and go through the twenty week twice a week group training that is coming up. :)